fsBaseball - Kinetic Chain

FSbaseball.com

Train for the Next Level

Kinetic Chain: a Series of Movements
Chain Link 1:	As you stride, keep your front foot parallel with the front of the plate to avoid opening your hips too early. Also, keep your front leg relatively straight as you land and throughout your swing.
Chain Link 2:	Pivot on the ball of your back foot, pointing your toe forward as if you are "squishing a bug". You should be driving off of your back leg, as your leg roughly forms the shape of an "L".
Chain Link 3:	Keep your front shoulder closed until your hip drives your torso to face forward. Avoid your front shoulder "pulling off of the ball"; rather, think of the momentum opening toward the point of contact.
Chain Link 4:	For an inside pitch, your arms should be extended over your front foot at the point of contact. For an outside pitch, your momentum should drive off of your back leg through the outside part of the hitting zone with your arms exteded to hit the ball deeper in the zone.
Chain Link 5:	Your wrists are the final part of the whip-like kinetic chain. At the point of contact, your top hand should be palm-up and your bottom hand should be palm-down. Your wrists should "roll" as you follow through with your swing but not until the ball has left the bat.
Chain Link 6:	The end of the chain occurs as the transfer of energy goes from your series of joint movements through the sweet spot of the ball from the sweet spot of the bat.